THE ZEN TEACHINGS OF BODHIDHARMA

[Guest guest]

THE ZEN TEACHINGS OF BODHIDHARMA

 

Translated by Red Pine 1987

 

 

Not thinking about anything is Zen. Once you know this, walking,

standing, sitting, or lying down, everything you do is Zen. To know

that the mind is empty is to see the Buddha. The Buddhas of the ten

directions " have no mind. To see no mind is to see the Buddha.

 

Using the mind to look for reality is delusion. Not using the mind

to look for reality is awareness. Freeing oneself from words is

liberation. Remaining unblemished by the dust of sensation is

guarding the Dharma. Transcending life and death is leaving home. "

 

When the mortal mind appears, buddhahood disappears. When the mortal

mind disappears, buddhahood appears. When the mind appears, reality

disappears. When the mind disappears, reality appears. Whoever knows

that nothing depends on anything has found the Way. And whoever

knows that the mind depends on nothing is always at the place of

enlightenment.

 

Whoever sees his nature is a Buddha; whoever doesn't is a mortal.

But if you can find your buddha-nature apart from your mortal

nature, where is it? Our mortal nature is our Buddha nature. Beyond

this nature there's no Buddha. The Buddha is our nature. There's no

Buddha besides this nature. And there's no nature besides the

Buddha.

 

Unless you see your nature, all this talk about cause and effect is

nonsense. Buddhas don't practice nonsense. A Buddha free of karma

free of cause and effect. To say he attains anything at all is to

slander a Buddha. What could he possibly attain? Even focusing on a

mind, a power, an understanding, or a view is impossible for a

Buddha. A Buddha isn't one sided. The nature of his mind is

basically empty, neither pure nor impure. He's free of practice and

realization. He's free of cause and effect.

************************************************************